Well, you never forget your first kiss 5k. And seriously, it seems so funny to me that I’ve been running races since 2006 and have never, until today run a scored 5k. Plenty of 4 milers, 5 milers, 10ks, half-marathons and full marathons…but I digress.

Yesterday I hit up the NYC Marathon Expo to pick up my Dash to the Finish Line 5k race number.

just 3.1 instead of 26.2 this year. #slacker

It felt weird to be picking up my 5k bib when 50,000 other people were picking up their marathon bib! I chose this race because I knew I wasn’t running the marathon this year and I wanted to still be able to take advantage of the energy that builds in the city marathon weekend, and with the race finishing at the marathon’s iconic finish line, this seemed like the perfect fit. Not to mention I got excited to finally register for a scored 5k.

This morning I was up at 5:30 am to head out by 6:30 am and start my journey to Manhattan. It was 46 degrees and raining when I left the house. I didn’t let the weather upset me though because hey, I ran a PR at the Love Run half-marathon this past March in the cold, pouring rain right?!

I drove across Staten Island and jumped on an express bus that would take me the 7 miles (over the Verrazano Bridge and thru Brooklyn) into downtown Manhattan where I would then hop on the subway to get up to Grand Central and then trek by foot another 1/2 mile to the corrals. I should have arrived downtown at 7:30 am but an accident caused a major traffic snarl and when I got off the bus it was 8:10!

anxiously riding the bus. took my handy dandy rain poncho, and my metrocard for the subway.

I managed to get down to the subway and on a train by 8:15. I looked at my phone app and it said the train should take 12 minutes to get to Grand Central. I kept doing the math. Holy crap I was cutting it close. At 8:27 I began the mad dash off the train, through the terminal and up the stairs. At 8:30am I started running as fast as I could to the start line. I got to the corrals at 8:34 and was so freakin’ relieved to see crowds of people still there. Thankfully with close to 10,000 runners I made it to the back of the pack and successfully started 12 minutes after the gun went off. Whew!

The race was CROWDED! Apparently there was a large percentage of international participants who probably had a family member running the marathon tomorrow. There were a lot of walkers and kids too. And there I was at the back trying to run as fast as I could. There were puddles and potholes to dodge, and I spent a good amount of the race weaving around people and probably ran the LONGEST tangents ever. Not smart Sally! But hey! I was on a mission to break 30 minutes. I knew that a good part of miles 1 and 2 were downhill so I just booked! And then once in the park I slowed a bit up one small hill and as soon as I saw the 26 mile marker for the marathon I kicked it into high gear. I knew I just had another .2 miles to go.

My friends will be so happy to see this mile marker tomorrow!

I finished in 28:34. The rain wasn’t even an issue. And ultimately the crowds didn’t hold me back. Heck, the traffic snarl left me so frustrated that I don’t think anything could have held me back from running hard. While this was an automatic PR thanks to it being my first 5k it was actually faster than my goal pace. I knew I could keep a 9:30 pace but my A goal was to run a 9:15 pace. I ended up running a 9:12 pace! YAY! and my Garmin showed 3.2 miles (thanks to my dodging and weaving) which read 8:59 pace. I’m so thrilled! It only means that I’m capable of more and I’m looking forward to running a few more 5ks in the future.

While walking to the subway to start my journey home, I made a little pit stop at Magnolia Bakery.

Blueberry crisp and hot coffee: yes please!

And before I knew it I was back on the bus.

No finishers medals, but I got an apple and water and a power bar.

this Columbia vest is one the best pieces of gear i ever bought.

So here are the stats:

2 hours 6 minutes to get to the start

28 min to run the race

1 hour 20 minutes to get home

8th NYRR race for 2014 complete leaving me with only one more to complete before the end of the year to secure my spot in next year’s NYC Marathon

oh, and 2 towels to dry the dog after walking him in this rain when I got home.

Well as much praying I did to little miss mother nature, it looks pretty clear that I’ll be running a half marathon in the rain tomorrow. This is what the weather forecast is for race time…

And so I spent some of today preparing my plan of attack for how to stay as dry as possible for 13.1 miles. And this is what I ended up with:

Lots of anti-chafe cream!!! And a waterproof ziploc bag to put my phone and money in…

But what would I wear? My waterproof running jackets are all winter weight and with the temps hitting 50 degrees I would definitely overheat. Then I remembered this lightweight poncho I got at a local race a few years back…

The “perfect” solution! Combined with a visored hat to keep my eyes free from raindrops, I feel a little less stress about tomorrow. The only thing I really worry about is how my sneakers will handle the water…Will they get heavy and soak the water like a sponge? I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.

I’ll be leaving my sunglasses and my ipod/earbuds at home tomorrow. And I’ll be gear checking dry clothes for sure!

I’ll let you all know tomorrow how this all goes down. At least I know there will be brunch with friends afterward!

Duncan didn’t escape my overthinking of raingear…I took him to the pet store for a little adventure since we’ve been trapped in the house all day and while I really had only planned on getting food and treats for him I discovered this cute raincoat.

It has a hood too! Oh he’s not happy. I had to get him an X-Large because the large was really tight in the armpits. Maybe he’s just embarrased he needed such a large size?

It was a rough start. Duncan seemed to have a boo boo on his eyelid…I saw some dried blood on his fur and panicked. Luckily it looks like he’ll be just fine and we can avoid a vet visit. I’m NOT good with Duncan boo boos!

Next up was the rain. It was pouring so hard AND the wind was whipping. I stood at the bus stop and battled my umbrella best I could but by the time the bus came my jeans were sopping wet from the knee down as were my feet:( Traffic was bad and I was over a half hour late to work.

But my boss helped me find our little space heater in the office closet! I sat and dried out the sopping wet feet and jeans.

Dear space heater: I love you!

Within 30 minutes that debacle was a thing of the past. (Well my hair was tragic but when you have naturally curly hair you just learn to accept tragic hair on rainy days).

Then I found out my friend’s dog crossed the rainbow bridge:( She was 15 and I guess we knew her time was near, but it’s never easy to say goodbye to a furry best friend.

So my Monday was definitely starting off on the low end. A friend mentioned later in the day that today is actually called Blue Monday: the most depressing day of the year. I get it.

Thank god I had so much fun at my friend’s Little Christmas party last night. (It’s gotta be at least 10 years that I’ve been going. A few highlights:

The menu. Beer was kept cold in the snow on the back deck (genius!). There were also plenty of beverage options inside. Dinner was a petit filet steak for each person, broccoli, green beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes and jambalaya.

The “Wrapped Crap” exchange: I received a “ZePad”. It was a $20 fake iPad that was actually purchased as a decoy for my friend’s daughter by her boyfriend so that he could eventually surprise her with the real iPad later on. They both knew I would get a kick out of it so they re-wrapped it and ensured that I was given that package.
It’s actually like having a very old computer. It plugs in….even takes pictures.

archaic group shot

We tried to connect it to the internet but unsuccessful at the moment. I refuse to throw it out though. This is one wrapped crap gift I’ll be keeping even if it’s just to use the calculator function. LOL! There was also a bottle of French shower gel and in French it is Gel Douche. Yes we giggled like teenage boys. Other wrapped crap classics….a stinky candle, and some mismatched glass coasters and a gaudy holiday coffee mug.

The conversations: I don’t get to see these girls often so it’s nice to talk about some funny stories of our past. One big topic of discussion was about signs we get from people who have died. Ladybugs, butterflies, feathers, coins, numbers, scents, songs, electronics going haywire. I think we were all in agreement that our loved ones continue to let us know they’re with us once they’ve passed on.

The S’mores Dip: I did it again! I made a stellar dip. Actually I think my ratio of melted chocolate to toasted marshmallow was better this time around.

beautiful, perfectly browned toasted marshmallows combined with the right balance of melted chocolate. I approve!

I was so busy bitchin’ about my crappy monday that I forgot to mention I wore my pedometer today for the first time (you can read this post to see how I won it). While the rest of the blog world is testing out FitBits and Polar Loops, I’m going old school =)

I am actually impressed that I made it to almost 5,500 steps. Duncan and I didn’t do our normal morning walk of 20-30 minutes and I didn’t go far at lunch because of the rain, so I’m guessing most days I probably make it to 7,500. I think they recommend 10,000 steps a day so I’m not far off. Tonight is cross training night so I’ll be bouncing on the trampoline for a bit. Tomorrow i’ve got a plain ole 3 mile run to do. I love week 1 of marathon training =)

I mentioned in this post that I’m getting ready to repaint all the rooms in my house. Well, I have been looking for new bedding for my bedroom. Today, I felt the need to cheer myself up so I finally pulled the trigger and ordered 2 different duvets and a decorative pillow. Here’s a little picture showing the purchases and also I tried to make a little representation of what the final product will look like. I’m painting my bedroom walls gray. My headboard is white and i’m planning on mixing the black and white toile duvet with the teal colored one…shams too. And then I got this cool petal covered pillow too.

So that’s that. I’m off to bounce now. Have a great night.

Question: Do you like your current bedroom bedding or do you feel the need for a change? What are your colors?

It’s Thursday already?!!! Sheesh! This week has flown by. I won’t get into the gory details but it was quite a stressful week. The straw that broke the (stuffed) camel’s back (I never harm animals even in adages) was my most disastrous commute home. I only live 25 miles from my office. It shouldn’t have to take 2 1/2 hours to get home…

OK so it’s pouring rain here in NYC. I had a 5 mile tempo run on my schedule for today. I ALMOST opted to go to the gym but the thought of an hour on the “dreadmill” made me ill. Then I came to my senses.

see the raindrops on the watch?

I ran without music since i figured the rain would short out my earphones. I really didn’t need music. I was feeling great and smiling like a nerd.

OK now to the Information Nation part:

1. When you make a choice and follow through, you won’t regret it and you will always feel good. This is not just with running but in all aspects of your life. It’s empowering.

2. When you run in the rain and have squishy, water-slogged sneakers, stuff them with newspaper to draw out the moisture. (It works for sweaty sneakers too, to take the odors out)

3. When you eat breakfast with dogs, be prepared for the “pathetic stare”. If you make the choice to share, see #1. (These kids had some of my hard boiled egg. I made the choice to share and I feel empowered. =)

give us some of that!

Question: Do you like running in the rain? Any tips for drying out afterwards?